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Your 2019 Reading List, Provided by Bill Gates
Do you want to be a billionaire? Most of us can't live like billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, but we can read like him. Gates recommended four books in 2019—though some were published earlier.
Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson (2018)
The best-selling biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein researched deeply into da Vinci's contributions beyond art, highlighting the breadth of his scientific, technological, and creative output. ''Leonardo nearly understood almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That's mostly because of his curiosity about every area of natural science and the human experience," said Gates.
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, by Thi Bui (2018)
Gates calls this graphic novel "really impressive"'. Bui is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who came to America after the fall of Saigon, and becoming a parent inspired her to look into her own parents' miserable history. "I was struck by how the experiences manage to be both universal and specific to their circumstances," said Gates.
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (2018)
Saunders, a long-time short story writer, won high praise for this novel. The book imagines the ghosts that haunt(出没) the basement of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, who died at 11 in real life. "Willie's death after the Civil War made the president have a new understanding of the grief he's creating in other families by sending their sons off to die in battle," said Gates.
Origin Story: A Big History of Every things, by David Christian (2018)
This new book is by the creator of Big History, a free, online social studies course. It traces history in wide, sweeping movements, starting with the Big Bang, and it provides, in effect, a short course in modern science. This is a brief history of the universe. "David gets a little stuck on the current economic and political problems in the West, and I wish he talked more about the role technology will play in preventing the worst effects of climate change," said Gates.
1.Which books refer to the field of science?
A.Leonardo da Vinci and The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir.
B.Lincoln in the Bardo and Origin Story: A Big History of Everything.
C.Origin Story: A Big History of Everything and Leonardo da Vinci.
D.The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir and Lincoln in the Bardo.
2.If you are interested in thrillers, whose book will you most probably choose?
A.Walter Isaacson. B.Thi Bui. C.David Christian. D.George Saunders.
3.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A.The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir left Gates unfavourable impressions.
B.Leonardo da Vinci only made contributions to art.
C.David Christian talks much about technology.
D.Lincoln in the Bardo has been warmly received.
